3RD EDITION – WINTER 2022

TNG Task Force Updates

The communications task force is focused on sharing opportunities and information with TNG members and the ACRM as whole. We also create this biannual newsletter. Please reach out if you would like to share your research, a new technology, ask a question, or share resource recommendations with your fellow TNG members.

The communications task force is excited to bring you Tech Talks, webinars that cover various technology topics. Please be on the lookout for future updates on Tech Talks after the annual ACRM conference. More information available on the ACRM Tech Talks page.

Check out the TNG social media for highlighted research on technology & telehealth and during the annual ACRM conference for real-time updates and live-tweeting from #ACRM2020! Connect with us on: 

• Twitter: @ACRMTechGroup
• Facebook: @ACRMTechGroup (https://www.facebook.com/ACRMTechGroup/)
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12080149/

Introduction of the Co-Chairs

Tammy Richmond, MS, OTRL, FAOTA

Where do you work?
I am the CEO/Founder of Go2Care, an online telehealth company that provides telehealth/telerehab consultation, training, OT/PT services and technology solutions.

What is your area of study?
Occupational Therapy and Exercise Physiology

Any other fun facts or information you’d like to share about yourself such as hobbies or publications?
I was the head medical trainer at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games for track and field and the head medical provider for the Brazilian Olympic Track and Field Team at the 1988 Olympic Games.

Kristen Weidner MS, CCC-SLP

Where do you work?
University of Kentucky, doctoral student, Rehabilitation and Health Sciences

What is your area of study?
I am a speech-language pathologist with interests in rural health and telehealth. I am interested in increasing access to care for people with communication disorders.

Any other fun facts or information you’d like to share about yourself such as hobbies or publications?
We recently did a study analyzing tweets about telepractice (the term used in communication sciences and disorders for services provided remotely) during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a social media user and technology enthusiast, it was interesting to quantify patterns systematically and compare them to the literature. It was fun to learn new methods of data collection and analysis.
 

Sutanuka Bhattacharjya, PhD, OTR/L

Where do you work?
I am an Assistant Professor in the Occupational Therapy department at Georgia State University.

What is your area of study?
I am occupational therapist and a researcher with interests in the role of technology (and telehealth) in promoting self-management of rehabilitation within homes and communities.

Any other fun facts or information you’d like to share about yourself such as hobbies or publications?
I am a foodie and love to explore new restaurants and cuisines. I am loving Atlanta’s diverse food options.

About The Telehealth Task Force

The Telehealth Task Force was created to promote telehealth as a sustainable choice of delivery service for health care professionals through research and evidence based best practice guidelines. We plan to accomplish this by engaging, collaborating, and promoting education, research, practice, and networking in telehealth across inter-disciplinary group of rehabilitation professionals, comprising academicians, clinicians, researchers, rehabilitation and consumer technology industry members, and end-users.

We have 3 main goals.

1. 1. Champion ACRM Telehealth’s Value Proposition: advocate for research and education in telehealth best practice standards to become the leading voice of information about telehealth emerging models of care delivery, transformative healthcare delivery models, and healthcare outcomes (Webportal page: expert support, educational sources, etc)
   2. Mobilize ACRM’s Resources to Effective Transformation: promote value and advance telehealth innovation through guided member engagement with the promotion of quality standards that reassure telehealth’s key end users, including providers, payers and patients. (Resources: Official Best Practice Standards, etc)
   3. Empower Innovation and Change: create strong industry awareness among all membership and outside stakeholders and promote ACRM membership and member retention rates through educational and informational outreach strategies

We are currently working to add members to our task force to assist us in creating information educational “pages” for the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation for various aspects of implementing telerehab research and service models into current best practice standards.

How To Get Involved

• • Members can email Kristen Weidner with their interests. Kristen.weidner@uky.edu
  • We now have monthly meetings scheduled on the third Thursday of every month. We would like to invite any member who has any interests in participating or learning more about our task force and how to get involved in our activities to join us. Find the Telehealth Task Force monthly meeting information by visiting our web page: https://acrm.org/acrm-communities/technology/tng-task-forces/tng-telehealth-task-force/
  • The Telehealth Task Force has compiled a list of resources: Resource Database for Telehealth

The Programming Task Force provides the membership with quality programming content related to the state-of-the art in the field of rehabilitation technology at the ACRM Annual Conference and Spring Meeting. The Programming Task Force assists in recruiting content from the top rehabilitation professionals in the field and within ACRM.

Task Force Leadership Changes

Thank-you to TNG Programming Task Force Co-Chairs, Mohan Thirumalai and Tracey Wallace for their service as task force co-chairs. Welcome to Rachel Proffitt and Joe Walters as the new Task Force Co-Chairs.

Rachel Proffitt, OTD, OTR/L
CO-CHAIR
Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy
University of Missouri
+1.573.884.2418
proffittrm@health.missouri.edu‎

Joe Walters, MS, CPHQ, CBIS
CO-CHAIR
Director of Analytics
On With Life
+1.515.289.9692
Joe.walters@onwithlife.org

Task Force Members

The task force is looking for members who are interested in providing membership with the latest technological developments in rehabilitation. If interested in joining the task force, please reach out to Joe Walters or Rachel Proffitt.

• Recruit, review and recommend speakers for the ACRM Annual Conference and Spring Meeting, including for plenary sessions, special symposia, and other presentations
• Serve as liaison for speakers recruited by the TNG, providing information and assistance to support speakers
• Recruit Technology Poster Awards Committee judges, including committee chair
• Assist programming efforts led by other TNG Task Forces (e.g., recruitment of contestants, reviewers, and judges for LaunchPad)
• Recruit reviewers for technology content submissions for the annual conference

Call for Topics

Read a paper or seen a presentation involving technology in rehabilitation that should be shared with your fellow ACRM members? If so, please let Joe Walters or Rachel Proffitt know. We are always on the lookout for new and interesting content to share with ACRM membership.

2021-2022 Projects/Goals

• Recruit, review and recommend content/speakers for ACRM 2022
• Develop or recommend thematic mini-tracks on specific topics
• Speaker incentives – Identify speakers new to ACRM (since 5 years prior)
• Support Poster Awards Committee
• Support TNG task forces in programming related initiatives
• Support larger ACRM programming needs as directed by the ACRM Program Committee

Congratulations to the 2021 TNG Poster Award Recipients

Each year, at the ACRM Annual Conference, the TNG Poster Award Committee selects two poster award winners. The 2021 TNG Poster Award Winners were: 

Best Overall Poster in Technology

Comparative Effectiveness of Robot-interactive Gait Training With and Without Ankle Robotic Control in Patients with Brain Damage.

Chanee Park

Best Early Career in Technology

The Relationship Between Movement Kinematics and Muscle Activity in Seated Versus Walking Test of Upper Limb Associated Reactions.

Michelle Kahn, Ph.D.

A special thank you to the TNG Poster Award Committee:

Ghaith Androwis, Ph.D.
The Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research, Kessler Foundation

Gudang Yue, Ph.D.
The Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research, Kessler Foundation

Harshal Prabhakar Mahajan, Ph.D.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Sarah Mosely, MSP, CCC-SLP, ATP
Research coordinator and speech-language pathologist at Shepherd Center